Puntland counterterrorism operation against ISIS and Al-Shabab
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Somalia—IS Somalia Final Stand
US-supported Somali forces are encountering strong resistance as they try to defeat IS Somalia Province (ISS) and clear the group’s last remaining havens in northern Somalia’s Puntland state. US and Puntland officials said on August 26 that they had concluded a two-week joint operation against “ISIS leadership safe havens” in northern Somalia’s Puntland region.[1] ISS ambushed Puntland forces as the Somali soldiers entered the Ballade Valley in the al Miskad mountains on August 22.[2]Puntland troops continued to advance through the valley and captured key wells despite continued ISS resistance through August 26.[3] Local sources claimed that ISS killed at least 30 soldiers and wounded 80 more in the initial August 22 ambush, although Puntland officials disputed the figures on social media.[4]The claimed casualty figures would make the operation the largest and deadliest engagement for the Puntland forces since February.[5] US Africa Command (AFRICOM) provided significant air support and launched numerous airstrikes in the valley throughout the operation.Figure 2. Puntland 2025 Counter-ISS Offensive
Puntland state forces are continuing to fight ISS militants without US air support.[6] Puntland forces blocked all major roads to the area and gave the encircled ISS fighters 72 hours to surrender on August 25.[7] Some reports on social media claim that Puntland and US officials decided to cease airstrikes due to the presence of women and children in the area.[8] Heavy fighting continued through at least August 27, when ISS launched its first suicide attack in response to the August operations.[9] Puntland forces claimed kill the six ISS suicide commandos involved in the attack.[10]ISS sniper fire and other attacks reportedly killed another 23 soldiers between August 25 and 27.[11]
The operation is likely targeting high-ranking ISS and possibly IS global leadership, who have so far evaded the 2025 counter-ISS offensive. Unconfirmed reports on X claimed that US airstrikes on August 23 targeted the ISS deputy chief Issa Fahiye, who plays an outsized leadership role in ISS due to the other responsibilities of ISS emir Abdulqadir Mumin.[12] The fierce IS resistance further indicates that the area is home to leadership and likely veteran fighters, given the group has avoided large-scale engagements historically.[13]
Global IS leadership figures, including Mumin, are likely present in the area. The AFRICOM and Puntland statement noted that operations targeted “ISIS leadership,” not “ISIS Somalia” leadership, which indicates the presence of global-level leadership figures. The US and some UN member states have reported since 2024 that Mumin leads the IS East Africa regional office and has become the global IS leader.[14] CTP and others have assessed that Mumin may be either the formal IS emir or head the IS Global Directorate of Provinces.[15] The directorate provides operational guidance and coordinates funding to all of IS’s global affiliates through various IS regional offices, plays a central role in external attack operations, and oversees high-level administrative affairs within the regional offices.[16] The UN reported in July that member states believed that Mumin was still be in Somalia.[17]
Puntland forces with the help of the United States and other regional allies have degraded ISS significantly since the beginning of 2025 but have only captured or killed one senior leadership figure.[18]The UN reported in July that Puntland’s 2025 anti-ISS offensive had killed nearly 200 and captured 150 of the group’s estimated 600 to 800 fighters but so far has failed to neutralize the group’s senior leadership.[19] US forces in late July reportedly captured the ISS finance chief, who directed the delivery of foreign fighters, supplies, and ammunition on behalf of IS, facilitated financial transfers for IS, and may have been the finance chief for the IS East Africa regional office—al Karrar.[20] ISS plays an outsized role in the IS worldwide network due to hosting the al Karrar office and has emerged as a key administrative and financial hub for IS’s global operations in recent years.[21]
Puntland will likely need to sustain pressure on ISS fighters in the valley and clear intricate and well-defended cave complexes to defeat the group and eliminate the high-value targets in the area. The UN assessed in 2024 and 2025 that ISS is mostly composed of foreign fighters, including veteran trainers from the Middle East.[22] Foreign fighters tend to be more hardened ideologues and will therefore be less likely to surrender.[23]
Continued:
The fierce ISS resistance in Puntland resembles previous IS final stands in Raqqa, Syria, Mosul, Iraq, and Sirte, Libya. In all these instances, IS fighters used explosives, including suicide bombers, and sniper fire to inflict maximum casualties on security forces.[24] These battles lasted for months and involved thousands of casualties.[25] ISS used suicide bombers to counter the Puntland offensive in December, February, and May.[26] Puntland forces have destroyed some ISS bomb-making factories during the offensive, but the August 27 suicide commando attack shows the group still retains bombmaking capabilities.[27]
Puntland forces must sustain pressure on the encircled IS fighters to ensure IS militants are unable to slip away. ISS has built cave bunkers and tunnel networks that are difficult to clear and insulated from air cover.[28] A lapse in pressure could enable high-value targets to slip out of the area, as Osama bin Laden did in the Tora Bora cave complex in 2001.[29]
https://www.criticalthreats.org/ana...ve-el-fasher-sudan-africa-file-august-28-2025
It seems that Puntland is waging war against the most hardened faction of IS who are fighting to protect their global leadership.
The fierce ISS resistance in Puntland resembles previous IS final stands in Raqqa, Syria, Mosul, Iraq, and Sirte, Libya. In all these instances, IS fighters used explosives, including suicide bombers, and sniper fire to inflict maximum casualties on security forces.[24] These battles lasted for months and involved thousands of casualties.[25] ISS used suicide bombers to counter the Puntland offensive in December, February, and May.[26] Puntland forces have destroyed some ISS bomb-making factories during the offensive, but the August 27 suicide commando attack shows the group still retains bombmaking capabilities.[27]
Puntland forces must sustain pressure on the encircled IS fighters to ensure IS militants are unable to slip away. ISS has built cave bunkers and tunnel networks that are difficult to clear and insulated from air cover.[28] A lapse in pressure could enable high-value targets to slip out of the area, as Osama bin Laden did in the Tora Bora cave complex in 2001.[29]
https://www.criticalthreats.org/ana...ve-el-fasher-sudan-africa-file-august-28-2025
It seems that Puntland is waging war against the most hardened faction of IS who are fighting to protect their global leadership.
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